


Colours

by kinghairington



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 23:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14413008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinghairington/pseuds/kinghairington
Summary: It was a month into your new job when flowers began appearing on your desk.





	Colours

**Author's Note:**

> **Rating/Warnings:** Some spoilers for season 4. Pure fluff.   
> **Request/Prompt:** “Looks like you have a secret admirer.”  
>  **A/N:** First time I’m posting anything for this fandom, so I would love to hear your thoughts.

It was a month into your new job when flowers began appearing on your desk. They were there when you came back from running an errand, after the walk you took during your break, or first thing in the morning. A single flower, no note. By the end of that week, the vase in your flat was bursting with color. It brought a smile to your face when you woke up to it Saturday morning as you tried to figure out who was leaving such a lovely gift for you.

Your father knew Tommy Shelby, and the leader of the Peaky Blinders owed him a favor, so he took that in the form of giving his daughter a place to work as the secretary for his cousin Michael Gray. The Shelby family and their business were dangerous, but it was safer working for them and being under their protection than on your own. The job itself wasn’t supposed to last long anyway. You were just working there while your father was on business in America. When he came back, you planned to return to his company to take an important role.

Generally, Shelby Company was bursting with activity and downright chaos, but working for Michael was not what you expected. He spoke when it was necessary, never more or less. Your father was on edge and talked down to his employees, so to work for a quiet man was both a relief and intriguing. In fact, he was lost as to what jobs to give you to do. Some days you only filed his papers. The rest of those days you tidied up his already organized office. He would do his paperwork in silence, smoke, and call you over when he was ready to give you something else to do. Still without much talking. He would pour you a drink near the end of the evening, but the conversation didn’t go past business. Thankfully he was attractive. If he was an ugly old man, you wouldn’t have been as content with the time spent in his office.

It was two months in when the bouquets started to arrive. Bunches of daisies, yellow and white roses, sweet williams. Eventually, you started to feel that maybe they weren’t meant for you after all. They brightened up your day, but they were more than a flower clipped from someone’s garden. There was no doubt that they were from a florist. Someone was spending money on them and you didn’t know many men in Birmingham other than your boss and his family. There was no way it was them.

When a large arrangement in a glass vase greeted you as you came to your desk, you sighed to yourself and lifted it. Not many people were in yet, so you went to the person you spent the most time with, your boss.

“Mr. Gray,” you said as you walked into the office, peeking over the roses. “Did you see who left these?”

Michael’s eyes widened as he glanced up at you before his expression changed to one of indifference.

“How would I know?” He asked, eyes moving from you to his calculator.

That caused you to pause in his doorway. It was the harshest tone he had ever used with you. You didn’t let it bother you, though, much. If you were receiving flowers meant for someone else, it was time to find out who left them and settle it.

“Well, I just - I thought that you would have seen someone deliver them. They’ve been coming for months.” Making your way to his desk, you sat them down and studied them. “They never have a card.”

He watched for a few moments as you fingered the petals before saying, “Looks like you have a secret admirer.”

“That’s ridiculous,” you said, sighing when you couldn’t find a card with these either. “I can’t figure out who they’re from.”

“I think that’s the point.”

When you turned your attention to him, a small smirk was on his mouth that caused a blush to form on your cheeks. He was teasing. Why were you complaining about getting flowers from someone? They had made your day on more than one occasion. Maybe it was a secret admirer like Michael was saying.

You sat down across the desk from him.

“I _wish_ I knew who they were from,” you said, tilting your head at the flowers. “They’re beautiful and I would like to thank the person who’s going through all this trouble if, in fact, they are meant for me.”

“I’m certain they’re meant for you.” He glanced at the flowers, reaching over and plucking off a bruised petal He made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat. “I’ll have to use a different florist next time.”

The meaning of his words didn’t register immediately but, when they did, you laughed in disbelief. Lifting a hand to the side of your mouth, you shook your head. Michael’s eyes were still on your face and clear of any hint that he was joking. Your boss was sending you flowers. He was your secret admirer?

“You’re my boss.”

Michael’s eyebrows rose and he nodded. “That I am.”

The two of you sat in silence like you were strangers. In many ways, you were. He’d never even asked if you were dating anyone, so he had been presumptuous to send you flowers without knowing your status. Of course, he was of Shelby blood. You figured they would go after any woman they wanted.

“You won’t be for long,” you said slowly, more to yourself than him, but the way his face lit up with worth the slip.

“That’s why I didn’t put a note in them because I’m your boss, but now that you know.” He sat up straighter and met your eyes full-on. “I would like to take you to dinner when you’re no longer on the payroll.”

“It will be a few months still.”

“We can get to know each other while we wait.”

A laugh escaped your lips again. Here was this handsome and successful man asking for a date that wouldn’t happen for months. He could have anyone he wanted with his family name and the money he was making. It amazed you that Michael was willing to wait for dinner when there was nothing in company policy disapproving of interoffice relationships. Tommy and Lizzie had a child together after all and they weren’t even in a romantic relationship.  

Michael Gray was a mystery to you and now all you wanted to do was get to know him. As the seconds ticked by, you were itching to kiss him. If his smile was any indication, that sort of reaction was why he was waiting.

“Does this mean the flowers will stop?” You asked, furrowing your brow. It was a joke but you did enjoy getting them every day. His answering smile told you all you needed to know. “They have been beautiful. Thank you.”

You spent the rest of the day learning about the company from him, sprinkling in questions about him, and giving information about yourself when there was an opening. It was the most interesting and exciting day since you began working at Shelby Company.

The next day, the flower arrangement was gerbera daisies paired with fern leaves with a handwritten note attached.

_I want to know everything about you._

_M. G._


End file.
